


Intuition/Assumptions

by salvabon



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Ableism, Bets, Canon Disabled Character, Deaf Clint Barton, Gen, Sign Language, autistic matt murdock, pro-tactile
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 05:10:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18067199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salvabon/pseuds/salvabon
Summary: Clint is surprised to find out the others don't know that their alley, a vigilante named Daredevil, is blind. He is pretty sure though.And he really wants to make sure he's being inclusive when making a sign language for work.





	Intuition/Assumptions

**Author's Note:**

> Apart from the disclaimer that, of course, I do not own these characters, a disclaimer that I am but a hearing linguistics nerd that is super interested in sign languages and Deaf culture but doesn't have any cultural exposure to it, so please tell me if I wrote something accidentally offensive. Same goes for me not being blind.   
> I am autistic though and autistic Matt Murdock is a valid hc, fight me. 
> 
> For those who don't know, Pro-Tactile ASL is a real thing and used by people who are blind and deaf, but I would imagine Clint would take inspiration from the workings of it. 
> 
> Furthermore, I watched most Marvel related stuff in my native language so I don't really know the speech pattern of the characters and have to improvise. And all the characters are a wild mix of the version in the movies/tv and comics

Clint Barton was buried so deep in a stack of books and pamphlets with titles such as "pro-tactile" and "ASL grammar" that Tony had to flicker the lights to get his attention.  
"Whatcha doing Barton?"   
Clint frowns: "Remember how I wanted to teach you guys some signs to make everything more inclusive? Well, I have to revise it to make it inclusive for daredevil too."   
Tony swaggered over and grabbed a snack from a fruit bowl.   
"What do you mean?"  
Tony leaned on the table and faced Clint questioningly. For a genius, Tony was really slow on the uptake sometimes, Clint thought.  
"Well a lot of the signs might be too subtle for him, and, you know, he needs to properly learn them first as well."   
Tony frowned while he chewed on an apple: "I don't think I'm following. Just because he's not a regular member and just an ally doesn't mean he can't be included in learning your language?" To make a point Tony tried to sign some of the words he already knew while talking, which unfortunately came out mangled through the apple in his hand. Clint didn't get all of that but enough to raise his suspicions: "You do know he's blind, right?"   
Tony chuckled:" "I know the eye-holes on his mask are small but calling him blind?" "No, I mean he is literally blind." Clint stopped in his tracks. "Aw no, I thought that was common knowledge by now."   
"Daredevil blind?" The other Avenger scoffed. "No way. That's impossible."   
Clint glared at him. "What do you mean? You have the arc reactor, we fought aliens, and Steve is legally in retirement age by now and I am a deaf Avenger." "Yeah but that's different. You don't need your ears for shooting arrows and doing gymnastics. Also, you have your hearing aids to make up for it."   
Clint Barton sighed: "Tony, I don't even know where to start with this. Just because I have hearing aids doesn't mean I'm not also deaf, I still have to put in way more effort in understanding everything, especially if you keep chewing while eating. Also, most legally blind people aren't completely blind so it's likely he'd have some remaining visual input. And the notion that it's impossible for someone disabled to be a superhero, is frankly quiet ableist." Tony put his apple aside. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" "You kind of did though. But it's okay as long as you understand why you fucked up." Clint took a deep breath. "I'm not even sure I should have brought it up with you, I really thought you knew. Maybe Daredevil doesn't want us to know so better to keep quiet about it until we know for sure."  
Tony nodded understandingly or at least pretended to. "I still don't think Daredevil is blind. I would even bet on it." And so they did. Not with money, of course, but with their honour. Bold of Tony to assume I have that to lose, Clint thought as they shook hands.   
Clint was sure. Well, not in the beginning. He had noticed certain peculiarities of their ally from Hell's Kitchen, and noticing things was kind of part of the job description as Hawkeye. Not only was his hearing better than Clint's (easy) but better than anyone's in the team by a long shot. Or even put together. Daredevil would hear things way before any of the other Avengers picked them up, and sometimes the others never picked up the sound because it was too subtle. Then there was the way he never really made eye-contact with people. Of course, he was wearing a mask, but even considering that he always seemed to look a little to the side of people's heads.   
The way he seemed sensible to certain noises, materials, smells, and the way he moved.   
At first, Clint thought Daredevil was autistic (and he still didn't rule it out, it wasn't mutually exclusive after all) but then he noticed more things. Daredevil didn't really react to facial expressions and body language a lot. Which also could be an autistic thing, but his intuition told him it was more than that, it was more than just not being able to read it correctly, it just seemed he wasn't able to read it at all.   
When Daredevil described things, he didn't really use many visual descriptions (it once took them half an hour to find a location Daredevil had described, when all it would have taken is mention the annoyingly pink sign right in front it). A few times Clint noticed that Daredevil seemed to have problems with written things and pictures and screens, holding them upside down when picking them up or being busy doing something else while the rest read them. Clint had noticed Daredevil touching documents with his fingertips intuitively when he thought no one was watching, almost in the way he knew braille would be read.   
His body language also gave him away, Clint thought. Or at least to him, as the others hadn't noticed yet. He did not only not hold eye contact, but he would also cock his head peculiarly to listen even when the visual input would be right there. When they were getting pizza or coffee after a battle for a debriefing, Daredevil was usually pretty low on energy as it seemed and Clint noticed him fumble for the food right in front of him a few times, or touch the chair in a way that seemed like probing if it was really there.   
So, Clint came to the conclusion that Daredevil was considerably visually impaired. It made sense to him, so much that he didn't know why the others didn't know it by now. But he had never said it out loud and parts of his demeanour suggested he was hiding (they didn't even know his true identity albeit having fought several battles together and having saved each other's lives).   
Tony and JARVIS both promised that this would remain between them until it was figured out. They weren't allowed to just outright ask him, or tell anyone else, of course.   
Tony's method involved sneaking a lot of sight and visual based humour into his conversations in Daredevil's presence (and generally, to not be suspicious). Clint didn't do anything but observe. The others saw Daredevil not react to the more sneaky puns and allusions and chuckle politely at the more openly visual jokes. Underneath Clint saw what he identified as worry, maybe even anxiety.   
Hawkeye made quick process in developing a prototype to his custom-made sign language and during a couple of weeks where Daredevil was minding his own business, Clint started to teach his own team.   
The Avengers were assembled into a briefing room when he presented it to them: "This Sign Language is modelled after ASL but it isn't quite the same, you wouldn't be able to use it outside this team. It follows English grammar to make it easier for hearing folks to learn, and so far it is only very very basic. ASL is an actual language, mind you, but this is so far only an upgrade to military signs. I am hoping to develop it further in the future but so far I have covered some basic commands, questions and anything that could come in handy in battle."   
Everyone nodded.   
"We can use it alongside speech when possible and use it as nonverbal communication in missions when needed."   
To Clint's surprise, everyone learned quickly and eagerly. Clint had made sure the signs were all different enough from each other to be distinguished easily, big enough to be seen in low light (or with low vision, hopefully) and easy enough to be learned by a bunch of superheroes who probably had "better" things to spend their rare free time with.   
After a little practice session, Clint was pulled aside by Tony: "Made any progress with our friendly neighbourhood devil?" "Didn't locate him yet but I am trying again this evening." And so he did.   
By now Clint knew where Daredevil normally jumped around in the evening and this time he was lucky.   
"Hey, Daredevil, We missed you," He said in normal volume across the roof, sure he had heard him. Daredevil immediately parkoured over to Clint's side. "Is the Hand active again?" As far as Clint could tell, Daredevil looked and sounded worried but also tired.   
"No, nothing like that. Just wanted to make sure you're alright." He nodded and then added a "Yeah, Thanks," cracking his neck.   
"Also...." Clint begun before the vigilante could jump onto the next roof again. "I created a Sign Language, or rather prototype of one, and wanted to run it past you, because of inclusivity and stuff."   
Daredevil froze, although only for a fraction of a second, it was enough for Clint to notice.   
"That's very nice that you want to include me but I must confess I'm not really a language kind of guy." Then he froze again. "I mean, which doesn't mean I won't try, I will try my best to accommodate your hearing loss, but I am not sure if I have the time and talent to properly learn to sign-"  
Daredevil looked like he wanted to say something more but broke off. "No, I totally understand." "Really? Because I am pretty sure I just sounded like a complete ass." "I have no idea how you sounded, because I am deaf, in case you forgot." Clint laughed and even the vigilante managed a light chuckle.   
"Speaking of which, can we please move to the light source over there because it's getting kind of dark to read lips."   
Clint pointed at the rooftop door and together they walked over. "that's also not all what I meant by inclusive. I meant to be inclusive for me but also for you. With Daredevil teaming up with us almost regularly by now."   
"So I made sure that the signs are easy to distinguish even in low light and with low vision."   
Daredevil's mouth fell open. "How...Do you know?" Clint laughed and patted Daredevil's shoulder. "Oh it's the little things I notice, I'm Hawkeye after all, but most importantly, we're not currently standing under a light source."   
Daredevil face-palmed and groaned.   
"You know," He started. "I mask so well. And my radar sense is so accurate. but I am so damn tired from taking out that sex trafficking ring that I just put everything on standby mode." He pointed to the light bulb on the door. "Definitely not working." Clint laughed again. "Wait, how are you reading my lips then?" "Luck, Skill, good hearing aid, a lot of guessing and there's a light source close enough to this spot to illuminate your dumbstruck face. I'm sorry to have tricked you like this but I kind of had a bet going that specifically stated I can't just ask."   
Daredevil nodded. "So the other's know?" "No, Tony is the only one I mentioned it to and he immediately called it impossible and bet me on it. And, well, I didn't want to make assumptions and go right into a pro-tactile approach and find out you're not actually blind but like autistic or just plain weird or something." "Why not all three?" "Ha! I knew it!"   
"I forgive you for playing me like that, I just hope that the bet was worth tricking a poor blind and autistic man." "Oh shut up, do you want to learn to sign now or not?"   
Clint and Daredevil, who introduced himself as Matt later in the evening, moved onto the well-lit stairwell of the building and started to go over some basic signs.   
He would sign them "normally" first, then let Matt feel the sign and try to reciprocate it. They would end up in a mix of felt and sensed/seen sign language. It was a bit slow at first but Matt really tried his best, as he had said.   
The next evening he agreed to meet the others for one of their sign language sessions slash pizza night. He walked in wearing jeans and t-shirts and his mask (for the dramatic effect only).   
"I do believe I owe you an official introduction." He pulled off his mask to reveal dishevelled brown hair, some bruises and dark eyes that didn't focus on anything.   
"My name is Matt Murdock, I'm an attorney from Hell's kitchen and I'm blind."   
Tony tried very hard to not choke on his drink. "And you're not just fucking with us to have Clint win the bet?"   
Matt Smiled. "No, I am really and completely blind."   
Bruce whispered a fascinating from the other end of the room, which made Matt chuckle. Steve seemed a little confused first but came over it. He was an over 70-year-old super soldier, after all, having a blind superhero didn't seem that far a stretch. Tony, on the other hand, frowned.   
"What do you mean completely blind? Clint here said something about how most blind people have some vision and I could get kind of behind that but completely?" "Absolutely no light perception, no."   
It took Matt a while to answer some questions and tell them about his background story, and everyone stayed very open to the idea, with even Tony coming around eventually.   
When it came to signing and eating pizza the Avengers sometimes forgot that Matt was blind at all, it only really came to their mind again when Matt and Clint signed in a tactile way with each other or when one of them fucked up ("Hey Matt, look at this!" "Can't").   
All of the Avengers successfully managed to integrate Clint's Avengers Sign Language into missions, and even grow and develop it over time. It never became a fully fledged communication system but good enough for them, and essentially unbreakable code for everyone else. Whenever Matt was taking part in missions someone made sure to include tactile feedback or whisper translations for his super hearing to pick up.   
It wasn't until a few months later that in a playful argument between Bruce and Matt the next bomb dropped.   
"That was sarcasm, you devil." "Well, I guess I am too autistic to get that." "You what now?" "Hey, Matthew I thought we're not making ableist jokes here." "I meant that literally." "Oh. We're not really good at this are we?" "let me guess, Barton knew?" "Yup."


End file.
